Kolkata, 06 July (H.S.): West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Monday announced that the state government will spend Rs 200 crore on various programmes and projects to commemorate the 125th birth anniversary of Bharat Kesari Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee. He also said that, from the next academic session, Dr. Mookerjee's life, his contribution to nation-building and his role in the formation of West Bengal will be incorporated into the curriculum of schools and universities across the state.
The announcement was made at a commemorative programme held at Mitra Institution in Bhawanipur, where Dr. Mookerjee studied from 1906 to 1917 and later served as a member of the school's managing committee between 1924 and 1938.
Addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister said the younger generation should be made aware of Dr. Mookerjee's contribution to the nation, particularly his role in the creation of West Bengal. He said his nationalist ideals, speeches in the legislature, tenure as independent India's first Industry Minister and his work as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calcutta would be included in the academic curriculum from the school level to universities.
Adhikari also announced several measures for the preservation and modernisation of Mitra Institution. As the local MLA from Bhawanipur, he sanctioned Rs 25 lakh from his MLA Local Area Development Fund for the renovation of the school building. He directed the Kolkata Municipal Corporation Commissioner to send engineers by August to prepare a comprehensive restoration plan while preserving the institution's heritage character.
The Chief Minister further instructed the Education Department to initiate steps for bringing the school under the Centre's PM SHRI scheme to facilitate infrastructure development. He also asked officials to explore the possibility of linking the institution with another Central Government educational initiative named after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Highlighting the government's larger commemorative plans, Adhikari said the Information and Cultural Affairs Department would spend around Rs 200 crore during the current financial year on projects marking Dr. Mookerjee's 125th birth anniversary. These include the construction of a 125-foot statue of the nationalist leader and other memorial initiatives. He also directed officials to examine whether a part of the allocation could be utilised for the development of Mitra Institution.
Interacting with students, the Chief Minister urged them to place the nation above all else, saying that Dr. Mookerjee, like Swami Vivekananda, regarded Bharat Mata as the highest ideal. To encourage young people to learn about India's cultural heritage, he announced that 1,000 students of the institution would receive complimentary copies of Sister Nivedita's classic The Master As I Saw Him.
On the occasion, Bharatiya Janata Party West Bengal president Samik Bhattacharya alleged that previous Left Front and Trinamool Congress governments had failed to give due recognition to Dr. Mookerjee's contribution. Welcoming the state government's decision, he said the move would help the younger generation understand Dr. Mookerjee's contributions to education, industry, national integration and the making of modern India.
Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh
